“Food Insecurity in Africa: the Situation Analysis” Situation Analysis Ashraf Shaalan Ashraf Shaalan Prof. of Biological Anthropology; Vice-president, Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), gy ( ), Egypt
Outlines Outlines � Introduction. � Introduction. � Main Gaps and their related needs: d * Strategies and political issues. * Poverty. * Hunger and food insecurity. * Hidden hunger. * Growth retardation. * Nutrition-related chronic diseases. � Additional needs. � Additional needs.
By 1992 the nutritional status in Africa had By 1992 the nutritional status in Africa had become worse and was characterized by: * Inadequate food production and * Inadequate food production and availability. * F * Food shortage. d h t * Famines. * High rates of child and maternal malnutrition. * Specific nutrient deficiencies. * Low dietary intake * Low dietary intake. *Additionally, there was inadequate access t to clean water supply and sanitation. l t l d it ti
� Since then many African countries have � Since then, many African countries have achieved significant improvement in their nutritional status nutritional status. � However, progress was slow in some other � H l i th African countries, especially in sub-Saharan region. i � Indicators of under-nutrition, poverty rate and state of food insecurity clearly reflected y y the current unacceptable situation of nutrition of these countries.
� An estimated 200 million people in p p Africa can now be classified as undernourished—almost 20 percent undernourished almost 20 percent more than in the early 1990s.
NEEDS NEEDS GAPS GAPS And And
G Gap 1: 1 Strategies Strategies A d And Political Issues Political Issues
� Despite decades of nutrition advocacy, most developing countries (specially in Africa) and development agencies still do not adequately recognize nutrition in their policies and strategies. � The major reason might be the competition for resources among competition for resources among different sectors and a conflict between sector oriented development sector-oriented development strategies.
The vicious circle of political instability Political Political instability Low Poverty investment investment -ve economic growth th
Needs � Clear strategies to guide future policy � Clear strategies to guide future policy and investment decisions are needed f for sustaining and accelerating growth t i i d l ti th to reach the poverty reduction and nutrition improvement MDGs. � Induction of the political will to support improving nutrition.
� Increasing awareness among � Increasing awareness among governments of the region and the regional and international development regional and international development partners, and the community on: * The nature and magnitude of nutrition * Th t d it d f t iti problems in Africa. * Their implications for the development of the continent. p * Advocate for additional resources for nutrition nutrition.
� Redirecting budget priorities towards � Redirecting budget priorities towards the nutritional needs. � Overcoming the 10/90 gap. � “The greatest single challenge facing � The greatest single challenge facing our globalized world is to combat and eradicate its disparities” (Nelson eradicate its disparities (Nelson Mandela).
� However, the problem is not only related to lack of policies and related to lack of policies and strategies, but it is also related to their implementation implementation. � This might be a result of little commitment and lack of the financial it t d l k f th fi i l needs for the implementation; that is to say, it is because of Poverty.
Poverty Gap 2: t 2 p G P
Malnutrition Poverty Hunger Hunger
� Str ct rall � Structurally, poverty is the backbone po ert is the backbone of all the nutritional problems in Africa due to its direct impact on the capacity of individuals, households, , , communities and nations to meet their needs and obligations for a healthy and needs and obligations for a healthy and prolonged life.
The vicious circle of poverty The vicious circle of poverty Low income Low Low Low Low Food productivity savings consumption consumption Low i investment t t
� Sub-saharan Africa has almost half of its population living below the international poverty line of US$ 1 per p y $ p day.
GNP per capita calculated in PPP Poverty Index in Africa World Bank, 2001
Needs � Supporting the economic productivity for the poorer countries to increase per for the poorer countries to increase per capita income. � Slow down population over-growth. � Slow down population over growth.
G Gap 3: 3 Hunger Hunger and d Food Insecurity Food Insecurity
� � The major immediate cause of The major immediate cause of malnutrition in Africa is low food dietary intake of various food nutrients required by the body. required by the body. � 200 million Africans of all ages are g hungry.
Hunger Index in Africa Extremely Alarming: Burundi Eritrea Eritrea Congo Ethiopia Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Niger Angola Liberia Liberia Zambia
� October 5, 2008: In Ethiopia alone 6 4 million currently In Ethiopia alone, 6.4 million currently require emergency food with no significant new harvest in sight in some significant new harvest in sight in some areas until next spring. � In some parts of Ethiopia local food � In some parts of Ethiopia, local food prices have shot up 500 percent since l last year. t
� However, Mozambique, Ghana, and Malawi have made considerable progress towards reducing hunger and they are very close to being on track to achieve the Global Hunger Index target based on the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Prevalence of child malnutrition in Africa
� Around 45 million preschool children p in Africa are malnourished.
� Until the last global food crises, Africa was heading to achieve real progress was heading to achieve real progress toward food and nutrition security. Now, the situation is different and it is really SERIOUS really SERIOUS.
Needs � Emergency interventions for famines, g y , refugees and displaced persons. � Reducing protein-energy malnutrition, � Reducing protein energy malnutrition, especially in children under five.
Needs – Cont. � Enhancing food security through � Enhancing food security through recent technologies to increase the agricultural and water productivity agricultural and water productivity. � Agricultural/health integration. � International support for poor countries to increase the productivity countries to increase the productivity (not only food supply).
Hunger Hunger Hidden Hidden Gap 4: 4 p G
� While famines and other episodes of p severe hunger receive relatively significant international and local significant international and local intervention and attract much public attention chronic hunger and attention, chronic hunger and micronutrient malnutrition are usually receive less attention although they are i l tt ti lth h th considerably more prevalent in Africa.
� Appro imatel � Approximately 42 percent of Africans 42 percent of Africans of all ages are iodine deficient. � About 33 million African preschoolers � About 33 million African preschoolers that is, one in three children are d fi i deficient in vitamin A. t i it i A
� More than one third of African Children and women in childbearing period have iron deficiencies. As with p iodine deficiencies, the damage appears to be largely irreversible appears to be largely irreversible. � Zinc deficiency is also prevalent in some African regions. some African regions.
Needs Needs � Supplementation programs. � Fortification programs. � Food based systems � Food-based systems.
Retardation Retardation Growth Growth Gap 5: p
� It is estimated that 14 percent of � It is estimated that 14 percent of children are born with low birthweights every year.
Prevalence of stunting among children under five in Africa <= 10% 10 -20% 20-30% 30-40% 40-50% >50% Not assessed
Trends of underweight in Egypt: 1990 - 2000 El-Saharty et al; 2005
Needs � Increasing birthweights requires � Increasing birthweights requires improving the health of mothers through: through: • Antimicrobial treatments. • Antiparasitic treatment. • Provision of iron and folate Provision of iron and folate supplements. • Social marketing regarding timing of Social marketing regarding timing of marriage and birth spacing.
Needs – Cont. � Promotion of breast feeding and � Promotion of breast feeding and improving knowledge of the use of p g g complementary food. � Supporting school feeding programs. � Growth reference charts, to be repeated every 10 years to trace the repeated every 10 years to trace the direction and amplitude of the secular trend.
G Gap 6: p 6 Nutrition related Nutrition-related chronic diseases diseases
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